METHOD OF ANNEALING MULTIPLE INDIVIDUAL ALUMINUM AND COPPER WIRES IN MACHINE LINE IN TANDEM WITH A STRANDING MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS OPERATION

Abstract

An apparatus and method for continuous operation for the production of conductors that include twisted or stranded wires or filaments includes supply payoff for providing a plurality of strands that have been work hardened. The wires or strands are annealed in line with the payoff and subsequently cooled by a chiller in line with the annealer for cooling the annealed strands output from the annealer to a predetermined temperature. A strander in line with the annealer and cooler or chiller is provided for imparting at least one twist to the annealed and cooled strands. Speed control, for example a dancer, is provided in line between the cooler and the strander for adjusting and controlling the speed or velocity of the strands moving along the line to maintain a speed compatible with the take up speed of the strander. The predetermined temperature is selected to be the ambient operating temperature of the strander for copper or aluminum cable.

Claims

1. A method of continuous production of twisted or stranded conductors including a plurality of wires along a machine line comprising the steps of supplying a plurality of strands that have been work hardened; inline annealing said strands; inline cooling the annealed strands following said annealing step to a predetermined temperature; inline stranding with the annealing and cooling steps for imparting at least one twist to the annealed and cooled strands; controlling the speed of the strands along the machine line for adjusting and controlling the speed or velocity of the strands moving along the line to be compatible with the take up speed for stranding, said steps being performed in succession without interruption to provide continuous operation.

2. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined temperature is less than 100° F.

3. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein said strander operates at an ambient temperature T and said predetermined temperature is substantially equal to T.

4. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein said strander operates at an ambient temperature T and said predetermined temperature is less than T.

5. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein said wires are aluminum wires.

6. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein said wires are copper wires.

7. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein pre-formed wires or strands are dispensed prior to annealing.

8. A method of continuous production as defined in claim 1, wherein round wires or strands are dispensed that need to be formed, and further comprising the step of forming said round wires located in line between said supply means and said annealing means.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] The single FIGURE is a diagrammatic representation of a machine line and method of annealing multiple individual aluminum and copper wires in Tandem with a stranding machine for continuous operation in accordance with the invention. The FIGURE shows a continuous machine line for manufacturing stranded conductors or cables using different wire payoff systems and an annealer station for annealing the conductors prior to stranding by any of of a variety of different stranding machines.

[0021] Referring now to the single FIGURE, anneal line in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

[0022] The machine line 10 includes a variety of payoff systems 12. Normal conventional payoffs can be used.

[0023] The plurality of strands or filaments 16 are fed to an annealing and cooling station 14. The cooling station 14 may include forming rollers 18 that may be non-driven rollers. The wires that have been formed are input to a capstan 20 for each layer of the final strand that requires annealing or formed without inherent haul off capability.

[0024] The output of the input capstan 20 is fed to forming rollers 22 that may be driven. The output of the forming rollers 22, at 24, may be hard/profiled or hard round or soft round. These formed wires, strands or filaments are passed through an annealing and cooling station 26. The speed at which the strands or wires are moved through the annealing and cooling station 26 can be adjusted in any suitable or conventional manner. Typically, the speed of the strands or filaments through the annealing and cooling station is in the range of approximately 100-400 feet per minute. The cooled wires at the exit point of the unit 26 are drawn by dancers to control the speed of movement of the wires or filaments moving along the line. The dancers may take the form of trim form rollers or input capstans.

[0025] Having been cooled at the output of station 14, the wires at 32 may be directed to anyone of a number of different stranders. The reference numeral 34 represents a variety of different stranding machines any one of which can be used with the invention. Thus, for example, a single twist strander (with or without an external capstan) 36, a double twist strander 38 with or without an external capstan) a concentric strander 40 or a drum strander (universal cabler) (42 with or without external capstan) can be used.

[0026] For the purpose of the present invention and this application the term “sequenced” operation is an operation in which distinctly separate and interrupted manufacturing operations or steps are performed at different times and/or different manufacturing sites. For the purposes of the present invention and this application the term “continuous” operation is an operation in which all the machinery in an entire line operates in a continuous fashion and the various manufacturing operations or steps are not interrupted nor performed at different times and/or different manufacturing sites. The machine line 10 presents a continuous line suitable for annealing multiple individual aluminum and copper wires in tandum with a stranding machine for a continuous operation. Thus, the stranding machine, whichever one is utilized, is arranged in tandem with the upstream machinery to transfer wire directly after it is released or output by the annealing and cooling station 14 in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment. The following are additional details of the above-described machine line.

[0027] The wires handled in the line are either copper or aluminium or alloys thereof. A variety of payoff systems may be utilized depending on the manufacturers facilities, requirements and processes. In all cases the payoff system feeds the strander with input wires in various configurations.

[0028] The input wires affect the extent to which the invention is utilized. The input wire(s) exit the payoff system 12 in a multitude of configurations on route to the annealing and cooling station 14 and the subsequent stranding process at 34. The details of the wire configurations includes but are not limited to the following: [0029] round soft; [0030] round hard; [0031] round partially soft/partially hard; [0032] profiled (trapezoidal, square, oval, rectangular etc) soft; [0033] profiled (trapezoidal, square, oval, rectangular etc) partially soft/partially hard; [0034] profiled (trapezoidal, square, oval, rectangular etc) hard;

[0035] The input wires at 16 may or may not require to be annealed at 14 in order to be stranded. If for example, round wires are not work hardened and do not require annealing, and they will remain substantially round in the final strand, they can bypass the annealing and cooling station 14 and go directly to the strander.

[0036] However, in the event that forming will be performed on the aforementioned wires, these wires will need be annealed prior to stranding to avoid annealing after stranding. Annealing of individual, formed (drawn, rolled etc) wires prior to stranding is often done in a separate operation which is independent, not in tandem with the stranding operation (See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,826)

[0037] As indicated numerous patents exist that relate to inline annealing of individual and multiple wires that are taken up onto a variety of take-up packages, such as stems and reels which become pay-off packages for subsequent, and separate manufacturing operations such as stranding. However it is the in-line annealing of multiple wires directly into the strander that is the focus of this invention.

[0038] One benefit of the cable invention is that it eliminates the need for post stranding batch heat treatment of the finished reel of cable. Another benefit of the invention is that the wires delivered to the stranding operation do not necessarily need to be heat treated (annealed, tempered etc) and/or shaped before being brought to the stranding operation. This results in a reduced overall process and conversion time and cost for the strand.

[0039] Yet another benefit of the invention is that it facilitates the production SIW Compressed and Compact Copper and SIW Compressed and Compact Aluminum strands without the need to anneal after stranding.

The utilization of the invention can be divided into 2 Categories:

[0040] Category 1

[0041] Input wires that are brought to the payoff area of the stranding operation that are preformed to final (or substantially final) strand configuration or round, and require annealing. These wires will travel over a capstan or haul off device which will feed the annealer. The capstan/haul off device speed will be substantially defined by the speed requirements of the strander in order to substantially follow the strander. The annealer will then, follow the capstan/haul off device speed. The wires will be cooled to a temperature suitable to maintain wire strength and be acceptable for stranding process. To avoid stretching and overloading the hot, weak wire in the annealer system, the speed and tension is adjusted/trimmed by the dancer 30 immediately following the annealing section and prior to strand closing and stranding 34. The dancer 30 is utilized between the annealing/cooling process and the strander at 34 in order to precisely control the speeds and tensile loads on the wire during operation.

[0042] Category 2

[0043] Input wires that are not formed to final (or substantially final) strand configuration upon exiting the payoff system 12 but are formed upon entry to the annealing and cooling station 14 and do require annealing. These wires can be formed using a variety of methods which are not integral to the invention. If the wires are roll formed using driven rollers, no haul off device or capstan is required as the roll forming process will inherently perform that function and feed the wire into the annealing section 14.

[0044] If the wires are formed using a method that requires the wires to be pulled through the forming process (including non-driven roll forming), a haul off device will be required as described in “Category 1”.

[0045] Upon exiting the forming process(es), with or without the use of a haul off device/capstan as described above, the wires enter the in line annealing area 26. The capstan/haul off device 30 and/or the driven roll forming device 22 speed will be substantially defined by the speed requirements of the strander (i.e., substantially follows the strander.) The annealer 26 will then follow the capstan/haul off device's speed. Subsequent to the annealing section 26, the wires will be cooled to a temperature suitable to maintain wire strength and be acceptable for the stranding process. To avoid stretching and overloading the hot, weak wire in the annealer system, the speed and tension is adjusted/trimmed by the dancer 30 immediately following the annealing section and prior to strand closing and stranding at 34. The dancer 30 is utilized between the annealing/cooling station 26 and the strander at 34 in order to precisely control the speeds and tensile loads on the wire during operation.

[0046] The wires that enter the strander are of a geometry substantially as required in the final strand and are in an annealed state as required to meet the final strand specifications. The wires can be assembled in the strander without the requirement of subsequent annealing of the take up package.

[0047] The stranding machine used, as indicated, may be any conventional strander. A variety of stranding machines can be utilized to receive the output wires described above. These types include, but are not limited to: [0048] Double Twist Strander; [0049] Single Twist Strander (with or without external capstans); [0050] Concentric/Central Strander; [0051] Drum or “Universal Strander”.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.